as in heavyweight
one of high position or importance within a group
thinks he's a big cheese just because he's got a business card
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Recent Examples of big cheese
But a big cheese board affords the chance for people to try something new.
—
Betty Hallock, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2024
Simply Cheetos White Cheddar Puffs These light-colored curls have big cheese flavor, a satisfying crunch and a tart kick that is dangerously delicious.
—Jolene Thym, The Mercury News, 4 June 2024
So for decades only accredited scholars, the occasional journalist and big cheeses got to see inside.
—Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2023
Following a voting process, this international cut of designers aged under 40 will be whittled down to a final few before the winners are selected by a panel of the conglomerate’s key designers and c-suite big cheeses some time in the summer.
—Luke Leitch, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2023
All is fair in love and big cheese.
—Ali Francis, Bon Appétit, 2 Feb. 2023
Bob Iger is back as the House of Mouse’s big cheese.
—Jacob Carpenter, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2022
Una Pizza Napoletana is truly the big cheese: Anthony Mangieri’s Lower East Side pizza joint was just named the best pizzeria in the United States by the 50 Top Pizza organization.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 16 June 2022
Betty Hallock, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2024
Simply Cheetos White Cheddar Puffs These light-colored curls have big cheese flavor, a satisfying crunch and a tart kick that is dangerously delicious.
—Jolene Thym, The Mercury News, 4 June 2024
So for decades only accredited scholars, the occasional journalist and big cheeses got to see inside.
—Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2023
Following a voting process, this international cut of designers aged under 40 will be whittled down to a final few before the winners are selected by a panel of the conglomerate’s key designers and c-suite big cheeses some time in the summer.
—Luke Leitch, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2023
All is fair in love and big cheese.
—Ali Francis, Bon Appétit, 2 Feb. 2023
Bob Iger is back as the House of Mouse’s big cheese.
—Jacob Carpenter, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2022
Una Pizza Napoletana is truly the big cheese: Anthony Mangieri’s Lower East Side pizza joint was just named the best pizzeria in the United States by the 50 Top Pizza organization.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 16 June 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for big cheese
Noun
-
South Korea’s Kospi recently hit an all-time high, but the index appears to be overly reliant on two heavyweights — Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix — according to BTIG analyst Jonathan Krinsky in a note.—
Justina Lee,
CNBC,
28 May 2026
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For a group of British retail heavyweights, the government’s move to close a tax loophole on low-value goods from overseas by 2029 would come too little, too late.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
According to my mom, allowing the product to sit on these surfaces makes cleaning much less scrubbing-heavy, which is a win in her book.—
Aliyah Rodriguez,
The Spruce,
27 May 2026
-
Essentially, those who already coached ‘big club’ football — high pressing, possession-heavy — tend to perform quite well.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
Noun
-
Spurs bigs Tim Duncan and David Robinson were dominant in Ewing’s absence.—
Esfandiar Baraheni,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
-
There are a few free agent bigs who are probably out of Denver’s price range (Mitchell Robinson, Robert Williams III, Kristaps Porzingis).—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
The Minnesota Wild’s big guns showed up in a big way Saturday night, and the Avs looked wobbly for the first time in this tournament in a 5-1 loss in Game 3 at Grand Casino Arena.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
10 May 2026
-
Against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup, Wrexham twice raced into a two-goal lead only for the half-time of introduction of the Premier League’s ‘big guns’ to underline how far the Welsh club still has to go if their owners’ top flight ambitions are to be realised.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Staal made it 2-0 a minute and change later by winning a big boy net-front battle with Josh Anderson to pound in his second of the playoffs and continue his line’s dominance over the Canadiens.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
But taking on one of Wall Street’s big boys, and then getting squashed for it, ranks right up there.—
Liz Peek,
Washington Post,
4 May 2026
Noun
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For all of its strengths, my one wish for the Weber Kettle is better wheel nuts holding the big wheels in place.—
Matthew Korfhage,
Wired News,
17 May 2026
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The car's quirky appearance is enhanced by a sporty body kit and big wheels that are pushed to the farthest edges.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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That was a gift from former Indy ball teammate and ex-big leaguer Matt Adams.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Around him was not a single big leaguer, minor leaguer, or anyone with a heater topping 90 miles per hour.—
Sam Blum,
New York Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
When Teoscar Hernandez departed Wednesday’s game against the Colorado Rockies with a hamstring injury, Kim stepped in to see action in left field for the first time in two seasons as a major leaguer.—
Doug Padilla,
Oc Register,
28 May 2026
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His first two months as a major leaguer have been littered with learning lessons, both for the pitcher himself and the people trying to coach him.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Big cheese.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/big%20cheese. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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